Buena Vista University has signed an agreement with University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City (Iowa Law) to coordinate their programs to allow BVU undergraduates in their junior year of study to apply for admission to Iowa Law's Juris Doctor (JD) Program and earn their bachelor's and law degrees in six years.

In what is referred to as a 3+3 admissions program, students will complete three years at BVU and three years at Iowa Law and receive degrees from both universities. With this program, BVU pre-law students will be able to obtain their law degrees in a shorter amount of time.

"We are extremely pleased with this agreement," said BVU President Fred Moore. "As a lawyer, I appreciate the University of Iowa College of Law's long and proud tradition as one of the nation's best institutions. Under this 3+3 agreement, well-qualified BVU students will have the opportunity to realize their professional dreams at a quicker pace."

"Our 3+3 Accelerated Entry to Law School Program recognizes both BVU's commitment to preparing students for professional life and the power of the liberal arts experience we provide," said Dr. Bradley Best, associate professor of political science at BVU. Lisa Best, associate professor of political science at BVU and an attorney states, "The curriculum we have assembled is the culmination of years spent developing and piloting courses designed to best prepare students for law school. By the time students proceed to the University of Iowa College of Law, they can be confident that the knowledge and skills they have accumulated at BVU have prepared them for advanced study in the law and will give them the competitive edge they need to succeed."

According to the agreement, BVU pre-law students in their junior year or third year of study who will have completed a minimum of 98 credit hours of undergraduate study prior to entering law school are eligible to apply to Iowa Law for that year's admissions cycle and will be considered by Iowa Law as a qualified applicant to the school. Iowa Law will then consider the application materials of all qualified applicants, including grade point average and Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score, in comparison with other applicants in the pool as they compete for seats in the given year's entering class.

"The University of Iowa College of Law is proud to have Buena Vista University as a partner institution for the law school's new 3+3 program," said Gail Agrawal, Dean and F. Wendell Miller Professor of Law at University of Iowa College of Law. "Over the years, many excellent graduates of Buena Vista have attended law school at the University of Iowa and have gone on to highly successful careers. We are grateful that this program gives us an opportunity to work closely with the faculty of Buena Vista to identify those students who will benefit from this accelerated path to earn a bachelor's degree and a juris doctor degree in six years."

After successful completion of the first year in the Iowa Law JD Program, students will be awarded a bachelor of arts degree in political science from BVU. Students will then earn their juris doctor degree from Iowa Law upon completion of the remainder of the law school program.